Waterproof cover mechanism for belt-like lighting fitting, illuminator, and outdoor lighting system

ABSTRACT

A strip-mounted luminaire (1) has a ribbon cable (11), to the front side of which sockets (12) are connected. An illuminant (13) is mounted on each socket (12). Each watertight cover mechanism (2) has a base member (51) which is provided with a window (72) adapted to permit a socket (12) of the strip-mounted luminaire (1) to be inserted therein; a back end member (52) for holding the ribbon cable (11) in conjunction with the base member (51) in such a state that the ribbon cable (11) is sandwiched between the base member (51) and the back end member (52); a translucent globe (53) adapted to be attached to the base member (51) so as to enclose the socket (12) and the illuminant (13); a first sealing member (54) for sealing and waterproofing the space around the socket (12); and a second sealing member (55) for sealing and waterproofing the gap between the translucent globe (53) and the base member (51). The strip-mounted luminaire (1) and the watertight cover mechanism (or the watertight cover mechanisms) (2) constitute a lighting fixture.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a watertight cover mechanism to cover astrip-mounted luminaire in a waterproof state, and also relates to alighting fixture and an outdoor lighting system adapted to use saidwatertight cover mechanism for a strip-mounted luminaire.

BACKGROUND ART

As an example of conventional luminaires, Japanese Utility ModelPublication No. 1988-38482 discloses a strip-mounted luminaire to beused for decorative illumination or other purposes. This strip-mountedluminaire includes sockets which are adapted to be arranged on a ribboncable in such a state that the sockets pierce through the insulationcoating of the ribbon cable and are connected to the conductive materialof the cable, and electric bulbs to be set in the sockets.

However, the luminaire disclosed in the above publication has a too muchheight to maintain a good balance, because each socket is designed toremovably receive an electric bulb having a single, wedge-type base insuch a state that the electric bulb is vertically positioned.Furthermore, as such an electric bulb normally has a verticallypositioned filament or a crest-shaped filament, the light distributed inthe lengthwise direction of the ribbon cable forms a circle, which isnot suitable for in-line illumination.

Luminaires that are arranged in a line and used outdoors for decorativeillumination or other purposes have to be waterproof so as to beprotected from rain. An example of the luminaires of this type isdisclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open 1995-169313. The luminairedisclosed in this patent calls for sandwiching the cable, along aportion located at a distance from the ends of the cable, between theseat portion and the cap portion(s) of a socket so that the socketsupports and electrically connects the cable at the same time. Thisluminaire also includes a translucent globe made of a transparentsynthetic resin. A channel for supporting an O-ring is formed around theneck portion of the translucent globe so that the translucent globe canbe fitted in a socket in a waterproof state by forcing the neck portionof the translucent globe into an annular skirt formed on the seatportion of the socket.

The aforementioned luminaire disclosed in Japanese Utility ModelPublication No. 1988-38482 is not suitable to be used outdoors, becauseit is not waterproof. The luminaire disclosed in Japanese PatentLaid-open No. 1995-169313 is provided with a mechanism to attach a globein a waterproof state and, therefore, may be used outdoors.

On the other hand, the waterproof mechanism for the luminaire disclosedin Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 1995-169313 calls for providing thetranslucent globe with a neck portion and inserting the neck portioninto the skirt of a socket, thereby pressing the O-ring of the neckportion against the inner surface of the skirt. Considering the size ofa typical translucent globe with respect to the size of an electricbulb, the diameter of the neck portion is limited. For this reason, theapplication of the above configuration is limited to such cases that theelectric bulb is used at a vertical position. In other words, it is notapplicable to cases where the electric bulb is used at a horizontalposition, because its horizontal dimension becomes too long.Furthermore, it is difficult to be applied to a socket having anirregular shape.

The structure disclosed in the above patent also calls for snuglyinserting a protruding portion that protrudes from the seat portion intoa cap portion to affix the cap portion to the seat portion, andinserting pins that protrude from the seat portion into the cable inorder to perform the necessary electrical connection. As a result, thedepth of the cap portion, i.e. the distance by which the cap portionprojects rearward from the cable, becomes excessively long, making itdifficult to arrange lamps in a line on the surface of a building orother structure as well as making the position of the lamp too high tobe easily mounted.

The above configuration presents another problem in that productioncosts are high, because its translucent globe has a neck portion andtherefore has to be formed by blow molding.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-open No. 1994-23166 discloses anotherluminaire that has a structure similar to that of Japanese Patent PublicLaid-open No. 1995-169313 and presents similar problems. The luminairedisclosed in said publication has a structure that calls for attaching aneck portion of a translucent globe through a cover holder to a cable,to which a socket is connected, so that the translucent globe may beengaged in the socket by hooking a fitting hook between the cable andthe neck portion.

However, this structure is not only difficult to be applied to a sockethaving an irregular shape, but it also presents the danger of the loadapplied by the fitting hook to the cable causing problems in the cable.

An object of the present invention is to provide a watertight covermechanism to cover a strip-mounted luminaire in a waterproof state,wherein said watertight cover mechanism is capable of enveloping asocket and an illuminant so as to waterproof them regardless of theshape of the socket or the orientation of the illuminant mounted in thesocket, reducing the distance by which the luminaire protrudes from theback of the ribbon cable, permitting the luminaire to be easily mountedon a surface of a building or other structure, and also enabling theproduction of the translucent globe at a low cost. Another object of theinvention is to provided a lighting fixture and an outdoor lightingsystem adapted to use said watertight cover mechanism for astrip-mounted luminaires

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

A watertight cover mechanism for a strip-mounted luminaire according tothe present invention is adapted to be mounted on a strip-mountedluminaire that includes a ribbon cable, a socket connected to the ribboncable and an illuminant set in the socket, said watertight covermechanism including a base member which is provided with a windowadapted to permit a socket to be inserted therethrough, a back endmember adapted to hold said ribbon cable in such a manner that theribbon cable is sandwiched between the base member and the back endmember, a translucent globe adapted to be fitted around the base memberin such a state as to enclose said socket and the illuminant set in thesocket, a first sealing member adapted to be arranged on the base memberso as to watertightly seal the space around the socket, and a secondsealing member for sealing the gap between the base member and thetranslucent globe. By using the base member, the back end member, thetranslucent globe, and the first and second sealing members as describedabove, the strip-mounted luminaire can be watertightly sealed togetherwith its ribbon cable. Thus, the invention provides a strip-mountedluminaire with a watertight cover mechanism which is capable of making asocket and its illuminant waterproof regardless of the orientation ofthe socket and the illuminant mounted on the ribbon cable. In addition,said watertight cover mechanism is easy to mount on the surface of abuilding or other structure because of the reduced distance by which thewatertight cover mechanism protrudes from the back of the ribbon cable,and its translucent globe can be formed at low cost.

A lighting fixture according to the present invention includes astrip-mounted luminaire including a ribbon cable having a plurality ofconductive members embedded in an insulating cover in such a state thatthe conductive members are insulated from one another, a socket and anilluminant set in said socket, which pierces through the insulatingcover of the ribbon cable and is connected to the conductive members; abase member which is adapted to be disposed on the ribbon cable of thestrip-mounted luminaire and provided with a window so formed as topermit said socket to be inserted therethrough; a back end memberadapted to hold said ribbon cable in such a manner that the ribbon cableis sandwiched between the base member and the back end member; atranslucent globe adapted to be fitted around the base member in such astate as to enclose said socket and the illuminant set in the socket; afirst sealing member adapted to be arranged on the base member so as toseal the space around the socket in a waterproof state; and a secondsealing member for sealing the gap between the base member and thetranslucent globe in a waterproof state. By using the first sealingmember for watertightly sealing the space around the socket and thesecond sealing member for watertightly sealing the open end of thetranslucent globe as described above, the invention provides a lightingfixture having a strip-mounted luminaire which is capable of making asocket and its illuminant waterproof regardless of the orientation ofthe socket and the illuminant mounted on the ribbon cable. In addition,said lighting fixture is easy to mount on the surface of a building orother structure because of the reduced distance by which the componentsprotrude from the back of the ribbon cable, and its translucent globecan be formed at low cost.

According to another feature of the invention, the first sealing memberis disposed between the socket and the base member. By disposing thefirst sealing member in such a manner as to make use of the outercircumferential surface of the socket, the invention provides a lightingfixture that uses a strip-mounted luminaire having a simplifiedstructure.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the first sealingmember is disposed between the base member and the back end member. Bydisposing the first sealing member between the base member and the backend member so as to seal the space around the socket, the inventionprovides a lighting fixture which ensures reliable sealing regardless ofthe shape of the socket.

According to yet another feature of the invention, a plurality ofsockets and illuminants are arranged in the lengthwise direction of theribbon cable. By thus arranging numerous sockets and illuminants, theinvention offers a lighting fixture which is capable of conductingin-line illumination outdoors.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the ribbon cable isprovided with three or more conductive members, of which at least twoconductive members are used to connect the ribbon cable to the powersupply while at least one conductive member is not connected to thepower supply; a plurality of sockets and illuminants are arranged in thelengthwise direction of the ribbon cable; and a plurality of illuminantgroups, each of which consists of a plurality of illuminants connectedin series via said conductive member(s) that is (are) not connected tothe power supply, are formed, said illuminants groups arranged betweenthe power supply-connected conductive members and connected thereto inparallel with one another. By using a ribbon cable having three or moreconductive members, of which at least two conductive members areconnected to the power supply as described above, the invention iscapable of providing a lighting fixture which does not require astep-down transformer.

According to yet another feature of the invention, each socket has asocket body made of an insulating material and a pair of contact pieces,wherein said socket body includes a base portion extending in thelengthwise direction of the ribbon cable, a pair of insertion portionsrespectively raised from the two opposing ends of the base portion, apair of insertion grooves respectively formed in the two insertionportions at the opposing locations, and spaces respectively formed inthe two insertion portions in such a manner that each space communicateswith the corresponding insertion groove, and said contact piecespenetrate through the insulating cover of the ribbon cable and areconnected to the conductive members in such a state that the contactpieces are respectively contained in the spaces of the insertionportions and face the insertion grooves. Each illuminant is a compact,baseless incandescent lamp having a glass bulb, a pair of pinch sealportions respectively formed at the two opposing ends of the glass bulb,a pair of lead wires respectively and airtightly inserted in the pinchseal portions, and a filament disposed in the glass bulb, each lead wirehaving the portion that is contained in the glass bulb and forms afilament supporting portion and the portion that is located outside theglass bulb and forms a connector loop adapted to be inserted into thecorresponding insertion groove of the socket and connected to thecorresponding contact piece, and said filament laid across the pair offilament supporting portions and connected thereto. As described above,the invention provides a lighting fixture having an appealingappearance, wherein each illuminant is a compact, baseless incandescentlamp sealed at both ends, and each socket has a socket body made of aninsulating material.

According to yet another feature of the invention, each socket has asocket body made of an insulating material and a pair of contact pieces,wherein said socket body includes a base portion extending in thelengthwise direction of the ribbon cable, a pair of insertion portionsrespectively raised from the two opposing ends of the base portion, apair of insertion grooves respectively formed in the two insertionportions at the opposing locations, and spaces respectively formed inthe two insertion portions in such a manner that each space communicateswith the corresponding insertion groove; and said contact piecespenetrate through the insulating cover of the ribbon cable and areconnected to the conductive members in such a state that the contactpieces are respectively contained in the spaces of the insertionportions and face the insertion grooves. Each illuminant is a compact,baseless incandescent lamp having a glass bulb, a pair of pinch sealportions respectively formed at the two opposing ends of the glass bulb,a pair of lead wires respectively and airtightly inserted in the pinchseal portions, and a filament disposed in the glass bulb, each lead wirehaving the portion that is contained in the glass bulb and forms afilament supporting portion and the portion that is located outside theglass bulb and forms a connector loop adapted to be inserted into thecorresponding insertion groove of the socket and connected to thecorresponding contact piece, and said filament laid across the pair offilament supporting portions and connected thereto. The invention alsoincludes a reflector disposed between the base portion of each socketbody and the illuminant set therein. By providing a reflector betweenthe base portion of each socket body and its illuminant, the inventionprovides a lighting fixture which is capable of controlling the luminousintensity distribution and shielding the socket from heat.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the base member isformed in a generally disk-like shape and has a pair of fitting portionssymmetrically formed along the circumferential edge of the back end ofthe base member and adapted to fit the ribbon cable to the base member,a window formed between said pair of fitting portions and adapted topermit a socket to be inserted therethrough, a pair of arc-shapedbase-side fastening portions respectively formed at two opposing sidesof the window, a window frame portion which is formed at a locationinside the base-side fastening portions and outside the window and has afirst loop groove adapted to contain the first sealing member in such amanner that the first sealing member is positioned between the socketand the first loop groove, and an annular ridge having a second loopgroove which is formed around the outer circumferential face of the basemember and adapted to contain the second sealing member. The back endmember is formed in a generally disk-like shape and has seating portionformed at the approximate center of the surface of the back end memberand adapted to receive the ribbon cable thereon, and a pair ofarc-shaped back-end-side fastening portions flanking said seatingportion and adapted to be fastened to the aforementioned base-sidefastening portions. The translucent globe has a generally hemi-sphericalshape and has a circular open end so that the translucent globe can beattached to the base member with the open end of the translucent globefitted around the outer circumferential face of the annular ridge. Thus,the invention provides a lighting fixture having the optimumconfiguration for the function of the first sealing member by using theouter face of the socket.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the base member isformed in a generally disk-like shape and has a pair of fitting portionssymmetrically formed along the circumferential edge of the back end ofthe base member and adapted to fit the ribbon cable to the base member,a window formed between said pair of fitting portions and adapted topermit a socket to be inserted therethrough, a pair of arc-shapedbase-side fastening portions respectively formed at two opposing sidesof the window, a loop ridge which is formed at a location inside thebase-side fastening portions and outside the socket and adapted tocontain the first sealing member, and an annular ridge having a loopgroove which is formed around the outer circumferential face of the basemember and adapted to contain the second sealing member. The back endmember is formed in a generally disk-like shape and has seating portionformed at the approximate center of the surface of the back end memberand adapted to receive the ribbon cable thereon, a pair of arc-shapedbackend-side fastening portions flanking said seating portion andadapted to be fastened to the aforementioned base-side fasteningportions, a ridge portion facing the aforementioned loop ridge at adistance therewith so that the ridge portion and the loop ridge togetherform a groove for containing the first sealing member, and a pushportion adapted to push the first sealing member into said groove. Thetranslucent globe has a generally hemi-spherical shape and has acircular open end so that the translucent globe can be attached to thebase member with the open end of the translucent globe fitted around theouter circumferential face of the annular ridge. Thus, the inventionprovides a lighting fixture which has the optimum configuration toenable the first sealing member to function between the base member andthe back end member and is therefore capable of effectively sealing thesocket in a waterproof state regardless of the shape of the socket.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the base member andthe back end member are fastened together by means of ultrasonicwelding. By thus welding the base member and the back end member to eachother by means of ultrasonic welding, the invention is capable ofproviding a lighting fixture which has sufficient fastening strength.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the base member andthe back end member are fastened together with tapping screws. By thusfastening the base member and the back end member together with tappingscrews, the invention is capable of providing a lighting fixture whichis easy to produce and has sufficient fastening strength.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the base member isformed in a generally disk-like shape and has a plurality of catchinggrooves around its outer edge, while the translucent globe has agenerally hemi-spherical shape and is provided with a circular open endand a plurality of catching ridges, which are formed on the inner edgeof the open end and adapted to be engaged in the catching grooves of thebase member. By thus engaging the catching ridges of the translucentglobe in the catching grooves of the base member, the invention iscapable of providing a lighting fixture which presents no danger of thetranslucent globe inadvertently falling off.

According to yet another feature of the invention, the base member isformed in a generally disk-like shape and has a plurality of catchinglips formed around its outer edge, while the translucent globe has agenerally hemi-spherical shape and is provided with a circular open endand a plurality of catching grooves, which are formed along the inneredge of the open end and adapted to be engaged with the catching lips ofthe base member. By thus engaging the catching grooves of thetranslucent globe with the catching lips of the base member, theinvention is capable of providing a lighting fixture which presents nodanger of the translucent globe inadvertently falling off and has anappealing appearance because there are no parts protruding out of thetranslucent globe.

According to yet another feature of the invention, mounting holes areformed in the back of the back end member. By thus forming mountingholes in the back of the back end member, the invention provides alighting fixture which is easy to install.

According to yet another feature thereof, the invention includesmounting holes formed in the back of the back end member, and an adapterwhich is designed to be fastened in the mounting holes in the back ofthe back end member and has mounting portions respectively projectingfrom two opposing locations of the back end member. With theconfiguration as above, the invention provides a lighting fixture whichcan easily be installed from the front side by mounting the adapterusing the mounting holes in the back of the back end member.

According to yet another feature thereof, the invention includesmounting holes formed in the back of the back end member, and acord-shaped member adapter to be fastened in the mounting holes in theback of the back end member. With the configuration as above, theinvention provides a lighting fixture which can be attached to acord-shaped member, such as a wire, by mounting the cord-shaped memberadapter by using the mounting holes in the back of the back end member.

An outdoor illumination system according to the invention includes alighting fixture which is provided with a strip-mounted luminairecomprising a ribbon cable to be arranged on the surface of a building orother structure, a plurality of sockets arranged on the ribbon cable inthe lengthwise direction thereof and connected thereto, and a pluralityof illuminants respectively set in said sockets; base members, each ofwhich has a window adapted to permit a socket of the strip-mountedluminaire to be inserted therethrough; back end members for holding theribbon cable in conjunction with the base members in such a state thatthe ribbon cable is sandwiched between the base members and the back endmembers; translucent globes respectively attached to the base members insuch a state that each translucent globe enclose one of said sockets andthe illuminant set therein; first sealing members respectively arrangedon said base members so that each first sealing member seals the spacearound the corresponding socket in a waterproof state; and secondsealing members, each of which is adapted to seal the gap between thecorresponding base member and the translucent globe. The outdoorillumination system further includes a fixing means for affixing thelighting fixture to the aforementioned building (or other structure),and a power supply connected to the ribbon cable. Thus, the inventionprovides an outdoor illumination system which is capable of installing astrip-mounted luminaire over the surface of a building or otherstructure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a sectional view (a sectional bottom view) of a lightingfixture which is provided with a strip-mounted luminaire and awatertight cover mechanism according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view (an enlarged sectional bottom view)of said strip-mounted luminaire;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of said strip-mounted luminaire;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a base member of said watertight covermechanism;

FIG. 5 is a back view of the base member of the watertight covermechanism;

FIG. 6 is a partially sectional right side view of the base member ofthe watertight cover mechanism;

FIG. 7 is a partially sectional bottom view of the base member of thewatertight cover mechanism;

FIG. 8 is a front view of a back end member of said watertight covermechanism;

FIG. 9 is a back view of the back end member of the watertight covermechanism;

FIG. 10 is a partially sectional left side view of the back end memberof the watertight cover mechanism;

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the back end member of the watertight covermechanism;

FIG. 12 is a partially sectional left side view of a translucent globeof the watertight cover mechanism;

FIG. 13 is a top view of said translucent globe of the watertight covermechanism;

FIG. 14 is a front view of a first sealing member of the watertightcover mechanism;

FIG. 15 is a transverse sectional view of said first sealing member;

FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view of said first sealing member;

FIG. 17 is a circuit diagram of a lighting fixture which is providedwith a strip-mounted luminaire according to a second embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of said strip-mounted luminaire;

FIG. 19 is a circuit diagram of a lighting fixture which is providedwith a strip-mounted luminaire according to a third embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of a strip-mounted luminaireaccording to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a front view of a base member of a watertight cover mechanismaccording to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a back view of a back end member of a watertight covermechanism according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 23 is a partially sectional left side view of a back end member ofa watertight cover mechanism according to a seventh embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 24 is a front view of a lighting fixture which is provided with astrip-mounted luminaire and a watertight cover mechanism according to aneighth embodiment of the present invention, shown in the state where thetranslucent globe is removed;

FIG. 25 is a back view of said lighting fixture;

FIG. 26 is a partially sectional bottom view of said lighting fixture;

FIG. 27 is a left side view of said lighting fixture;

FIG. 28 is a partially sectional right side view of the lightingfixture;

FIG. 29 is a front view of the base member of said watertight covermechanism;

FIG. 30 is a back view of said base member of the watertight covermechanism;

FIG. 31 is a partially sectional bottom view of the base member of thewatertight cover mechanism;

FIG. 32 is a left side view of said base member of the watertight covermechanism;

FIG. 33 is a partially sectional right side view of the base member ofthe watertight cover mechanism;

FIG. 34 is an enlarged sectional view of same, showing the part takenalong the line A--A of FIG. 30;

FIG. 35 is a front view of a back end member of said watertight covermechanism;

FIG. 36 is a back view of said back end member of the watertight covermechanism;

FIG. 37 is a partially sectional bottom view of the back end member ofthe watertight cover mechanism;

FIG. 38 is a left side view of said back end member of the watertightcover mechanism, showing the part along the line B--B of FIG. 35 insection;

FIG. 39 is a back view of a translucent globe of said watertight covermechanism;

FIG. 40 is a sectional right side view of the translucent globe of thewatertight cover mechanism;

FIG. 41 is a sectional bottom view of the translucent globe of thewatertight cover mechanism;

FIG. 42 is a perspective view of a base member of a watertight covermechanism according to a ninth embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 43 is a sectional view of a part of the watertight cover mechanism;and

FIG. 44 is a sectional view of a part of the watertight cover mechanismfor explaining the pressure releasing function of the watertight covermechanism.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Next, the embodiments of the present invention is described in thefollowing by referring to the drawings.

The first embodiment is shown in FIGS. 1 through 16. FIG. 1 is asectional view (a sectional bottom view) of a lighting fixture which isprovided with a strip-mounted luminaire and a watertight covermechanism.

In FIG. 1, numeral 1 denotes a strip-mounted luminaire, numeral 2 awatertight cover mechanism, numeral 3 a building or a structure to mountthe lighting fixture thereon, and numeral 4 a mounting saddle serving asa fixing means.

First, the strip-mounted luminaire 1 is explained hereunder, referringto FIGS. 2 and 3 in addition to FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectionalview (an enlarged sectional bottom view) of the strip-mounted luminaire,and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the strip-mountedluminaire.

The strip-mounted luminaire 1 has a ribbon cable 11, a socket 12, anilluminant 13 and a reflector 14.

The ribbon cable 11 comprises two braided conductive members 22a,22bwhich are embedded in a flat, ribbon-like insulating cover 21 so thatthe conductive members 22a,22b are insulated from each other. Conductivemember exposed portions 23 and mounting holes 24,24 are formed in theribbon cable 11, at locations such that each conductive member exposedportion 23 and each pair of mounting holes 24,24 correspond to eachcontact piece 27 of the socket 12.

The socket 12 includes a socket body 26 made of an insulating materialsuch as a synthetic resin, and a pair of contact pieces 27,27.

The socket body 26 comprises a base portion 28, which extends along thelengthwise direction of the ribbon cable 11, and a pair of insertionportions 29 raised from the two lengthwise ends of the base portion 28.Each insertion portion 29 is provided with an insertion groove 30 and aspace 31, the insertion groove 30 formed in the inner surface of theinsertion portion 29, i.e. the surface facing the other insertionportion 29, and the space 31 located inside the insertion portion 29. Apair of mounting pins 32 protruding downward are formed on the undersideof the socket body 26. A pair of slits 33 are form in each insertionportion 29 of the socket body 26, in the surface of the insertionportion 29 opposing the other insertion portion 29. Each pair of slits33 oppose each other with the space 31 therebetween so that a leg piece34 is formed between the space 31 and each slit 33. A protrusion 35 isformed on each leg piece 34.

Each contact piece 27 is formed by bending a conductive spring memberand comprises a bottom portion 37, receiving blade portions 38 that arerespectively raised and curved from the two ends of the bottom portion37, a connector portion 39 protruding sideward from one side of thebottom portion 37, and a support portion 40 protruding in the oppositedirection from the other side of the bottom portion 37. The contactpieces 27 are adapted to be respectively inserted into the spaces 31 ofthe insertion portions 29 of the socket body 26 so that the receivingblade portions 38 face the walls of the insertion grooves 30.

In order for the socket 12 to be attached to the ribbon cable 11, theconductive members 22a,22b are exposed at the locations intended for theconnection to the socket by removing the corresponding portions of theinsulating cover 21 of the ribbon cable 11. Then, the connector portion39 of each contact piece 27 is placed over each respective pair ofconductive members 22a,22b and connected thereto by means of spotwelding. Thereafter, an insulation treatment is conducted by filling thegaps with silicone resin. In this state, the support portions 40 of thecontact pieces 27 are in contact with the surface of the insulatingcover 21 so that the contact pieces 27 are snugly supported by theribbon cable 11. After the contact pieces 27 are attached to the ribboncable 11, the socket body 26 is placed over the contact pieces 27 sothat the contact pieces 27 are respectively fitted in the spaces 31 ofthe insertion portions 29. The mounting pins 32 of the socket body 26are fitted in the mounting holes 24, which have been formed in theinsulating cover 21 of the ribbon cable 11 beforehand, and the end ofeach mounting pin 32 projected from the back side of the ribbon cable 11is deformed by heat. Thus, the mounting of the socket 12 on the ribboncable 11 is completed.

The illuminant 13 is a small, incandescent lamp having no base, andincludes an elongated glass bulb 42, a pair of pinch seal portions 43respectively formed at the two opposing ends of the glass bulb 42, and apair of lead wires 46 respectively inserted in the pinch seal portions43. The portion of each lead wire 46 located inside the glass bulb 42has a filament supporting portion 44, while the portion outside theglass bulb 42 is bent into a semicircular or U-shaped connector loop 45.The illuminant 13 is also provided with a straight filament 47 that islaid across the filament supporting portions 44 of the lead wires 46 andconnected thereto. The glass bulb 42 hermetically contains xenon gas.

The reflector 14 has a curved surface that covers the glass bulb 42 ofthe illuminant 13 and supported by the protrusions 35 of the leg pieces34, which are respectively formed opposite each other at the twoinsertion portions 29 that are located at both ends of the socket body26. Thus, the reflector 14 is prevented from being inadvertentlydisplaced from the socket body. In order to position the reflector 14, aprotrusion 14a adapted to be fitted in the insertion groove 30 of thecorresponding insertion portion 29 of the socket body 26 is formed ateach end of the reflector 14.

With the configuration as above, the illuminant 13 can be mounted on thesocket 12 by holding the glass bulb 42 and inserting the connector loops45 and the pinch seal portions 43 into the insertion grooves 30 of thesocket body 26 so that the connector loops 45 become engaged with therespective receiving blade portions 38 of the contact pieces 27, therebycompleting the mechanical and electrical connection. The illuminant 13can be removed from the socket 12 by reversing the above process.

Next, the watertight cover mechanism 2 is explained hereunder, referringto FIG. 1.

The watertight cover mechanism 2 has a base member 51, a back end member52, a translucent globe 53, a first sealing member 54 and a secondsealing member 55.

The base member 51 is disposed at the front end of the strip-mountedluminaire 1 in such a state that the socket 12 of the strip-mountedluminaire 1 is inserted through the base member 51; the translucentglobe 53 is fitted around the outer face of the base member 51; and thatthe ribbon cable 11 is in contact with the back end of the base member51.

The ribbon cable 11 is held between the base member 51 and the back endmember 52.

By being attached to the base member 51, the translucent globe 53encloses the socket 12 and the illuminant 13.

The first sealing member 54 is disposed between the base member 51 andthe socket 12 and seals and waterproofs the space around the socket 12.

The second sealing member 55 is disposed between the base member 51 andthe translucent globe 53 and seals and waterproofs the gap between thebase member 51 and the translucent globe 53.

Next, the watertight cover mechanism 2 is explained in detail, referringto FIGS. 4 through 16.

First, the base member 51 is explained, referring to FIGS. 4 through 7.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the base member 51 of the watertight covermechanism 2; FIG. 5 is a back view of the base member 51 of thewatertight cover mechanism 2; FIG. 6 is a partially sectional right sideview of the base member 51 of the watertight cover mechanism 2; and FIG.7 is a partially sectional bottom view of the base member 51 of thewatertight cover mechanism 2.

The base member 51 is formed in a generally disk-like shape by moldingtransparent polycarbonate resin and has an annular frame 61 that formsthe outer circumferential edge and a partition 62 surrounded by theannular frame 61.

The annular frame 61 comprises a large diameter frame portion 63 formedat the back side of the annular frame 61, a small diameter frame portion64 formed at the front side of the annular frame 61, a loop groove (asecond loop groove) 65 formed around the small diameter frame portion64, and an annular ridge 66 formed on the front surface of the smalldiameter frame portion 64. A fitting portion 67 for fitting the ribboncable 11 is formed by cutting away portions of the large diameter frameportion 63, at locations intersecting an imaginary straight line thatpasses the center of the back surface of the base member 51. The annularframe 61 is also provided with a pair of base-side fastening portions 68which are curved in an arc and protrude from the back end of the annularframe 61.

A pair of catching grooves 69 are formed overlapping the large diameterframe portion 63 and the small diameter frame portion 64 of the annularframe 61. Although the leading end 69a of each catching groove 69 isopen at the front surface of the base member 51, the remaining part ofthe groove is open at the back end of the base member 51.

The partition 62 has a flat bottom 70 and a tapered surface 71 formedaround the bottom 70. A window 72 elongated in the lateral direction asviewed in FIGS. 4 and 5 is formed at the center of the partition 62,between the aforementioned pair of fitting portions 67. A window frameportion 73 is formed on the back end of the window 72, around the outeredge thereof. A loop groove (a first loop groove) 74 is formed in theinner surface of the window frame portion 73.

Next, the back end member 52 is explained, referring to FIGS. 8 through11.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the back end member 52 of the watertight covermechanism 2; FIG. 9 is a back view of the back end member 52 of thewatertight cover mechanism 2; FIG. 10 is a partially sectional left sideview of the back end member 52 of the watertight cover mechanism 2; andFIG. 11 is a bottom view of the back end member 52 of the watertightcover mechanism 2.

The back end member 52 is formed in a generally disk-like shape bymolding transparent polycarbonate resin. A seating portion 81 forreceiving the ribbon cable 11 is formed at the center of the frontsurface of the back end member 52 and flanked by a pair of arc-shapedback-end-side fastening portions 82. Support portions 83 protrudingoutward are respectively formed at the two opposing ends of the seatingportion 81, and a mounting hole 84 is formed behind each back-end-sidefastening portion 82.

The seating portion 81 is formed by dividing the back end member 52 bymeans of a pair of ridges 85 that sandwich the seating portion 81.

An arc-shaped rib 86 is formed around the outer edge of eachback-end-side fastening portion 82.

The support portions 83 protrude from the back end member 52 as anintegral body therewith in order to support the ribbon cable 11, therebypreventing it from exerting an unfavorable influence on the sealingfunction of the first sealing member 54, when the ribbon cable 11 isbent.

An appropriate number of the aforementioned mounting holes 84 open atthe back face of the back end member 52 may be formed between the rib 86and the ridge 85 of each back-end-side fastening portion 82 in such amanner that each mounting hole 84 is adapted to receive a tapping screwtherein.

Next, the translucent globe 53 is explained, referring to FIGS. 12 and13.

FIG. 12 is a partially sectional left side view of the translucent globe53 of the watertight cover mechanism 2, and FIG. 13 is a top view of thetranslucent globe 53 of the watertight cover mechanism 2.

The translucent globe 53 is formed by molding transparent polycarbonateresin into a generally hemi-spherical shape open at one end, which is aflat, circular end referred to as the open end 91. A pair of catchingridges 92 are formed on the outer wall of the open end 91 of thetranslucent globe 53, and concentrically arranged prisms 93 foradjusting the luminance are formed on the inner surface of thetranslucent globe 53, at the front end of the translucent globe 53.

Next, the first sealing member 54 is explained, referring to FIGS. 14through 16.

FIG. 14 is a front view of the first sealing member 54 of the watertightcover mechanism 2; FIG. 15 is a transverse sectional view of the firstsealing member 54 of the watertight cover mechanism 2; and FIG. 16 is avertical sectional view of the first sealing member 54 of the watertightcover mechanism 2.

The first sealing member 54 is formed in a loop that has anapproximately V-shaped cross section and such a shape and dimensionsthat enable the first sealing member 54 to come into close contact withthe outer surface of the socket 12. The socket-facing end of the firstsealing member 54 slightly protrude so as to serve as a contact edge54a. The first sealing member 54 is adapted to be fitted in the loopgroove 74 of the base member 51. The first sealing member 54 can beattached to the socket 12 and the base member 51 by fitting the firstsealing member 54 around the outer surface of the socket 12 of thestrip-mounted luminaire 1 and then inserting the socket 12 from the backend of the base member 51 into the window 72 so that the first sealingmember 54 is snugly contained in the loop groove 74.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second sealing member 55 is an O-ring that isadapted to be fitted in the loop groove 65 of the base member 65 so asto seal and waterproof the gap between the inner surface of thetranslucent globe 53 and the loop groove 65.

The lighting fixture can be assembled as shown in FIG. 1 from thestrip-mounted luminaire 1 and the watertight cover mechanism 2 byfollowing the procedure described below.

First, in the state where the base member 51 is positioned inside out,the socket 12 of the strip-mounted luminaire 1 is inserted into thewindow 72 while the ribbon cable 11 is fitted in the fitting portions67. As described above, the first sealing member 54 should be attachedto the socket 12 beforehand.

Next, the seating portion 81 of the back end member 52 is brought intocontact with the ribbon cable 11, and the ribs 86 of the back end member52 is fastened to the base member 51 by conducting ultrasonic welding inthe state where the two base-side fastening portions 68 of the basemember 51 are in close contact with the back-end-side fastening portions82 of the back end member 52.

After the strip-mounted luminaire 1, the base member 51 and the back endmember 52 are turned to the original position, the illuminant 13 ismounted on the socket 12.

Finally, the open end 91 of the translucent globe 53 is fitted aroundthe annular ridge 66 of the base member 51 from outside, and thetranslucent globe 53 is then rotated so that its catching edge 51becomes fitted in the catching grooves 69 of the base member 51.

By following the procedure described above, the strip-mounted luminaire1 and the watertight cover mechanism 2 are integrated and waterproofed.To be more specific, the space around the socket 12 is waterproofed bysealing with the first sealing member 54, while the open end 91 of thetranslucent globe 53 is watertightly sealed onto the base member 51 withthe second sealing member 55.

The second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 17 and18.

The elements having structures and functions similar to those of thefirst embodiment are referred to with the same reference numerals andtheir explanation is omitted in the following.

FIG. 17 is a circuit diagram of a lighting fixture having astrip-mounted luminaire 1.

The strip-mounted luminaire 1 according to the second embodiment isdesigned such that a voltage of 100 V ac is directly applied to theribbon cable 11.

To be more specific, the ribbon cable 11 comprises three conductivemembers 22a,22b,22c and an insulating cover 21, in which the conductivemembers 22a,22b,22c are embedded. Of the thee conductive members, thetwo outer members, i.e. 22a and 22b, are designed to be directlyconnected to an ac power supply AC so as to receive a voltage of 100 V.The remaining conductive member 22c is divided into an appropriatenumber of conductive pieces 101₁, 101₂, . . . 101_(n).

A plurality of illuminants 13, which are given reference numerals 13₁,13₂, . . . 13_(n) in order to distinguish them from one another, areconnected in series via the conductive pieces 101₁, 101₂, . . . 101_(n).Whereas the illuminant 13₁ at one end is connected to the conductivemember 22a and the conductive piece 101₁, the illuminant 13₂ isconnected to the conductive pieces 101₁ and the conductive piece 101₂.The illuminant 13_(n) at the other end of the series is connected to theconductive pieces 101₂ and the conductive piece 101_(n). The conductivepiece 101_(n) is also connected to the conductive member 22b.

Thus, the illuminants 13₁, 13₂, . . . 13_(n) connected in series form anilluminant group 13A, which is connected to an ac power supply AC. Aplurality of illuminant groups 13B . . . may be formed in the samemanner as above. Each illuminant 13 may be of a light emitting elementhaving a low rated voltage.

FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective of the strip-mounted luminaire.

Through holes 102 are bored through the insulating cover 21 and theconductive member 22c of the ribbon cable 11 in order to divide theconductive member 22c into segments. After the conductive member 22c isdivided into segments, an insulating treatment is conducted by fillingthe through holes 102 with silicone.

One of the contact pieces 27 of the socket 12 is connected to theconductive piece 101₁, and the other contact pieces 27 is connected tothe conductive piece 101₂.

Next, the third embodiment is explained, referring to FIG. 19.

The elements having structures and functions similar to those of theembodiments described above are referred to with the same referencenumerals and their explanation is omitted in the following.

In case one or more illuminants 13 in an illuminant group 13A,13B, . . .fail to be lit due to breakage of the filament(s) or other causes sothat the circuit is closed, all the illuminants 13 that belong to theilluminant group 13A,13B, . . . in question fail to be lit, making itdifficult to discern the defective illuminant(s) 13. In order to solvethis problem, an feature of the third embodiment lies in the function toindicate such defective illuminants 13; a display means adapted to beactuated when a full source voltage is applied due to failure inlighting of an illuminant is connected in parallel with each illuminant13.

Each display means 105 consists of a glow discharge lamp 106 and acurrent limiting resistor 107 connected in series with the glowdischarge lamp 106. Even if one or more illuminants 13 in an illuminantgroup 13A,13B, . . . connected in series fail to be lit due to breakageof the filament(s), thereby closing the circuit, the other illuminants13 belonging to the illuminant group 13A,13B, . . . remain lit, and theglow discharge lamp(s) 106 connected in parallel with the illuminant(s)13 that has or have failed to be lit become lit, thereby indicating thedefective illuminant(s) 13. Each display means 105 should be disposed ata location easily seen from outside.

Next, the fourth embodiment is explained, referring to FIG. 20.

The elements having structures and functions similar to those of theembodiments described above are referred to with the same referencenumerals and their explanation is omitted in the following.

FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of the strip-mounted luminaire.

The fourth embodiment is different from the embodiments described abovein the configurations of the socket 12 and the illuminants 13.

Each illuminant 13 is a light bulb having a single, wedge-shaped base.

The socket body 26 of a socket 12 is made of an insulating material andprovided with a flange 111 formed in the shape of an elongated circleand a light bulb insertion hole 112 in which an illuminant 13 is adaptedto be fitted in a position such that it faces up. The flange 111 isformed at the portion where the socket body 26 will be in contact withthe ribbon cable 11, while the light bulb insertion hole 112 is formedat the upper end of the socket body 26. A pair of contact pieces 27adapted to be connected to the illuminant 13 are housed in the lightbulb insertion hole 112 of the socket body 26.

A watertight cover mechanism 2 can be arranged to fit the socket 12 ofthe fourth embodiment simply by so designing the first sealing member 54of the base member 51 shown in FIG. 1 as to come into contact with theflange 111.

Next, the fifth embodiment is explained, referring to FIG. 21.

The elements having structures and functions similar to those of theembodiments described above are referred to with the same referencenumerals and their explanation is omitted in the following.

FIG. 21 is a front view of the base member 51 of the watertight covermechanism 2.

According to the fifth embodiment, a pair of mounting tabs 115 servingas a fastening means are formed on the annular frame 61 of the basemember 51 of the watertight cover mechanism 2 as an integral body withthe annular frame 61. The two mounting tabs 115 are located on animaginary diagonal line and project outwards, in opposite directions,along said diagonal line. A mounting hole 116 is formed in each mountingtab 115.

By using mounting tabs 115, the base member 51 can easily be mounted ata desired location of a building (or a structure) 3 from the front sideof the watertight cover mechanism 2.

Next, the sixth embodiment is explained, referring to FIG. 22.

The elements having structures and functions similar to those of theembodiments described above are referred to with the same referencenumerals and their explanation is omitted in the following.

FIG. 22 is a back view of the back end member 52 of the watertight covermechanism 2.

The feature of the sixth embodiment lies in that the watertight covermechanism 2 can be mounted on a building (or a structure) 3 from thefront side of the watertight cover mechanism 2 by using mounting holes84 formed in the back end member 52. To be more specific, a mountingstay 121 which is in the shape of a flat plate and used as an adapter aswell as a fastening means is attached to the back end member 52 withscrews 122 screwed in the mounting holes 84 of the back end member 52. Amounting portion 123 is formed at each end of the mounting stay 121 andprojects from the side edge of the back end member 52. A mounting hole124 is formed in each mounting portion 123.

With the configuration as above, by using the mounting stay 121, thebase member 51 can easily be mounted at a desired location of a building(or a structure) 3 from the front side of the watertight cover mechanism2.

Next, the seventh embodiment is explained, referring to FIG. 23.

The elements having structures and functions similar to those of theembodiments described above are referred to with the same referencenumerals and their explanation is omitted in the following.

FIG. 23 is a partially sectional left side view of the back end member52 of the watertight cover mechanism 2.

The feature of the seventh embodiment lies in that a luminaire can beattached to a cord-shaped member 126, such as a wire, by means of themounting holes 84 of the back end member 52. To be more specific, thetwo opposing ends of a mounting saddle 127, which serves as acord-shaped member adapter for embracing the cord-shaped member 126, areattached to the back end member 52 with screws 128 that are screwed inthe mounting holes 84 of the back end member 52.

By thus using the mounting saddle 127, a luminaire can easily beattached to the cord-shaped member 126.

Next, the eighth embodiment is explained, referring to FIGS. 24 through41.

The elements having structures and functions similar to those of theembodiments described above are referred to with the same referencenumerals and their explanation is omitted in the following.

FIG. 24 is a front view of a luminaire which is provided with astrip-mounted luminaire 1 and a watertight cover mechanism 2, shown inthe state where the translucent globe 53 is removed; FIG. 25 is a backview of the luminaire; FIG. 26 is a partially sectional bottom view ofthe luminaire; FIG. 27 is a left side view of the luminaire; and FIG. 28is a partially sectional right side view of the luminaire.

The eighth embodiment is different from the first embodiment primarilyin the mechanism of attaching the watertight cover mechanism 2 and thetranslucent globe 53 around the socket 12.

The following is the detailed explanation of these components.

First, the base member 51 is explained.

FIG. 29 is a front view of the base member 51 of the watertight covermechanism 2; FIG. 30 is a back view of the base member 51 of thewatertight cover mechanism 2; FIG. 31 is a partially sectional bottomview of the base member 51 of the watertight cover mechanism 2; FIG. 32is a left side view of the base member 51 of the watertight covermechanism 2; FIG. 33 is a partially sectional right side view of thebase member 51 of the watertight cover mechanism 2; and FIG. 34 is anenlarged sectional view of same, showing the part taken along the lineA--A of FIG. 30 together with the first sealing member 54.

The base member 51 is formed in a generally disk-like shape by moldingtransparent polycarbonate resin and provided with arc-shaped catchinglips 131 and mounting tabs 115. The catching lips 131 are formed on theouter circumferential surface of the annular frame 61, at locationscloser to the front end than are the respective fitting portions 67corresponding thereto, and the mounting tabs 115 are formed at locationsrespectively adjacent to the fitting portions 67. A stopper groove 132is formed in the back face of each catching lip 131. As shown in FIG.33, a fitting step 133 adapted to fit the base member 51 to the back endmember 52 is formed on the back face of the base member 51, at theportion where the annular frame 61 is located.

As shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, a loop ridge 134 surrounding the window 72with a slight distance therebetween is formed on the back face of thebase member 51. The loop ridge 134 is interrupted at cutout portions135, which are formed by cutting away the portions of the loop ridge 134respectively facing the fitting portions 67. A groove 136 is formedoutside each cutout portion 135. The first sealing member 54 is placedon the base member 51, at such a location as to cover the outer face ofthe loop ridge 134 and the grooves 136 facing the fitting portions 67.The one-dot chain line in FIG. 30 represents the central line of thefirst sealing member 54.

The second sealing member 55 is fitted in the loop groove 65 formed inthe outer face of the annular ridge 66.

Referring to FIG. 30, two tapping screw holes 137 are formed at eachside (each vertical side as viewed in FIG. 30) of the laterallyelongated window 72. Furthermore, an inner pressure releasing portion138 is formed at each side (each vertical side as viewed in FIG. 30) ofthe loop ridge 134.

As shown in FIG. 34, each inner pressure releasing portion 138 islocated on the back end of the base member 51 and formed of a slantedsurface adjacent to the flat face portion that is located adjacent tothe loop ridge 134 and adapted to permit the first sealing member 54 tocome into contact therewith. The function of the inner pressurereleasing portions 138 is as follows: as shown in FIGS. 24 and 26, whenactuated to emit light, the illuminant 13 generates heat; when thepressure in the translucent globe 53 exceeds a given value resultingfrom the generation of heat, the first sealing member 54, particularlythe portion corresponding to the inner pressure releasing portions 138,is forced to move, against the resilience of the first sealing member54, outward to the position represented by the two-dot chain line inFIG. 34. As a result, a minute gap is formed between the first sealingmember 54 and each inner pressure releasing portion 138 and releases theexpanded air to the outside, thereby balancing the pressures outside andinside the translucent globe 53. When the pressures are balanced, theelasticity of the first sealing member 54 returns the first sealingmember 54 to its original position, where the first sealing member 54performs its sealing function.

Therefore, even if the pressure in the translucent globe 53 is reducedwhen the light is put out, there is no danger of moisture orcontaminants entering the translucent globe 53.

Next, the back end member 52 is explained.

FIG. 35 is a front view of the back end member 52 of the watertightcover mechanism 2; FIG. 36 is a back view of the back end member 52 ofthe watertight cover mechanism 2; FIG. 37 is a partially sectionalbottom view of the back end member 52 of the watertight cover mechanism2; and FIG. 38 is a left side view of the back end member 52 of thewatertight cover mechanism 2, showing the part along the line B--B ofFIG. 35 in section.

The back end member 52 is formed in a generally disk-like shape bymolding transparent polycarbonate resin and adapted to be fitted to thefitting step 133 formed on the back end of the base member 51.

The back end member 52 is provided with a ridge portion 141 and a pushportion 142 between the seating portion 81 and the back-end-sidefastening portions 82, which flank the seating portion 81. As shown inFIG. 28, the ridge portion 141 is so formed as to face the loop ridge134 at a distance so that the ridge portion 141 and the loop ridge 134together form a groove 143, which serves to receive the first sealingmember 54 therein. The one-dot chain line in FIG. 35 represents thecentral line of the first sealing member 54. The push portion 142 isformed at a location facing the groove 143 and divided into a pluralityof parts.

A shallow groove portion 144 extending along the one-dot chain line inFIG. 35 is formed at a location corresponding to each support portion83. These groove portions 144 serve as a reservoir of a sealing agent,such as silicone. Therefore, the back of the ribbon cable 11 can besealed onto the back end face 52 with a sealing agent or the like.

Each back-end-side fastening portion 82 is provided with two threadedinsertion holes 145 so that the base member 51 and the back end member52 can tightly be fastened together by screwing tapping screws 146through the threaded insertion holes 145 of the back end member 52 intothe tapping screw holes 137 of the base member 51.

Therefore, in order to seal and waterproof the space around the socket12, the first sealing member 54 formed of an O-ring is fitted around theloop ridge 134 formed on the back face of the base member 51, while thesecond sealing member 55, which is also formed of an O-ring, is fittedin the loop groove 65 of the annular ridge 66. Then, the socket 12 ofthe strip-mounted luminaire 1 is inserted from the back of the basemember 51 into the window 72 of the base member 51. Thereafter, thegroove portions 144 of the back end member 52 are filled with siliconeresin, and the back end member 52 is fitted to the fitting step 133 onthe back end of the base member 51, with the support portions 83aligning with the fitting portions 67 of the base member 51. At thattime, the socket seating portion 81 of the back end member 52 comes intocontact with the back end of the socket 12, while the back-end-sidefastening portions 82 snugly abut against the base-side fasteningportions 68. In this state, the ridge portion 141 of the back end member52 and the loop ridge 134 of the base member 51 face each other with ashort distance therebetween, thereby forming a groove 143 for containingthe first sealing member 54. Meanwhile, the push portion 142 pushes thefirst sealing member 54 into the groove 143. Finally, by inserting thetapping screws 146 through the threaded insertion holes 145 of the backend member 52 into the tapping screw holes 137 of the base member 51,the space around the socket 12 is watertightly sealed with the firstsealing member 54 in the state where the socket 12 of the strip-mountedluminaire 1 is sandwiched, together with the ribbon cable 11, betweenthe base member 51 and the back end member 52.

Next, the translucent globe 53 is explained hereunder.

FIG. 39 is a back view of the translucent globe 53 of the watertightcover mechanism 2; FIG. 40 is a sectional right side view of thetranslucent globe 53 of the watertight cover mechanism 2; and FIG. 41 isa sectional bottom view of the translucent globe 53 of the watertightcover mechanism 2.

A pair of catching grooves 151 are formed in the inner wall of the openend 91 of the translucent globe 53, and a stopper protrusion 152 isformed in each catching groove 151.

The translucent globe 53 is designed such that each catching groove 151of the translucent globe 53 can be engaged with the correspondingcatching lip 131 of the base member 51 by fitting and rotating the openend 91 of the translucent globe 53 over the annular ridge 66 in thestate where each catching groove 151 is positioned at the correspondingcatching lip 131. As the translucent globe 53 is attached to the basemember 51 with the stopper protrusions 152 of the catching grooves 151engaged in the stopper grooves 132 of the catching lips 131, thetranslucent globe 53 will not easily be displaced from the base member51.

When the translucent globe 53 is attached, the inner edge of the openend 91 of the translucent globe 53 comes into close contact with thesecond sealing member 55 fitted in the loop groove 65, which is formedaround the outer surface of the annular ridge 66 of the base member 51,and the gap between the translucent globe 53 and the base member 51 issealed and waterproofed.

Thus, the socket 12 of the strip-mounted luminaire 1 can be sealed andwaterproofed together with the ribbon cable 11 by means of the first andsecond sealing members 54,55.

Next, the ninth embodiment is explained, referring to FIGS. 42 through44.

The elements having structures and functions similar to those of theembodiments described above are referred to with the same referencenumerals and their explanation is omitted in the following.

FIG. 42 is a perspective view of the base member 51 of the watertightcover mechanism 2; FIG. 43 is a sectional view of a part of thewatertight cover mechanism 2; and FIG. 44 is a sectional view of a partof the watertight cover mechanism 2 for explaining the pressurereleasing function of the watertight cover mechanism.

The ninth embodiment calls for forming one or more inner pressurereleasing grooves 161 in the underside of the loop groove 65 of the basemember 51. Each inner pressure releasing groove 161 is open at the outercylindrical surface of the base member 51 and has such dimensions thatthe depth of the groove, i.e. the dimension extending in the directionof the center of the base member 51, is greater than the depth of theloop groove 65.

Normally, in other words when the pressure in the translucent globe 53is not higher than a predetermined level, the second sealing member 55is engaged in the loop groove 65 as shown in FIG. 43, thereby sealingthe gap between the base member 51 and the translucent globe 53.

When the pressure in the translucent globe 53 exceeds said predeterminedlevel due to the heat generated by the actuated illuminant 13, of thesecond sealing member 55 exposed to the pressure, the portions facingthe inner pressure releasing grooves 161 are flexed against theresilience of the second sealing member 55 so as to be moved into theinner pressure releasing grooves 161 as shown in FIG. 44. As a result, avery small gap is formed between the second sealing member 55 and eachinner pressure releasing groove 161 and releases the expanded air to theoutside, thereby balancing the pressures outside and inside thetranslucent globe 53. When the pressures are balanced, the elasticity ofthe second sealing member 55 returns the second sealing member 55 to itsoriginal position, where the second sealing member 55 performs itssealing function.

Therefore, even if the pressure in the translucent globe 53 is reducedwhen the light is put out, there is no danger of moisture orcontaminants entering the translucent globe 53.

Next, the definitions and technical concepts of the terms referred to inthis specification are explained hereunder.

First, the strip-mounted luminaire 1 is explained.

The ribbon cable 11 consists of a flat insulating cover 21 and aplurality of conductive members 22a,22b (or 22a,22b,22c), which arearranged side by side along the length of the insulating cover 21 andembedded inside the insulating cover 21 in such a state that they arespaced apart and insulated from one another. If the flexibility of theribbon cable 11 is desired to be increased, the conductive members22a,22b (22a,22b,22c) may be made of a braided conductive material. Inthat case, a ribbon cable 11 which is even flatter and more flexible canbe obtained by using a flatly braided conductive material. An insulatingmaterial that has a desired dielectric strength may be used as theinsulating cover according to a necessary insulating level.

Although a low ac or dc voltage of 12 V or 24 V is normally used as thevoltage applied to the ribbon cable 11, an ac voltage of 100 V or 120 Vmay be used if it is desired.

The sockets 12 may be arranged on the ribbon cable 11 by molding thesockets 12 integrally with the ribbon cable 11, or molding each socketseparately from the ribbon cable 11 and then connecting them to theribbon cable 11 by an appropriate means.

The sockets 12 may be mounted on the ribbon cable 11 in any desiredorientation; for example, illuminants 13 of a single-base type may beattached to the ribbon cable 11 in such a manner that they arepositioned perpendicularly to the ribbon cable 11, or each illuminant 13may be positioned so as to extend nearly in parallel to the lengthwisedirection of the ribbon cable 11. In cases where the illuminants 13 arearranged nearly in parallel to the lengthwise direction of the ribboncable 11, illuminants of a double-base type may be used as theilluminants 13.

The socket(s) 12 may be connected to the ribbon cable 11 by using anyappropriate means. An example of such means may call for removing theportions of the insulating cover 21 of the ribbon cable 21 where thecontact pieces 27 of each socket 12 will be connected to the cable,placing the contact pieces 27 on the exposed conductive members 22a,22b(22a,22b,22c), bonding them together by spot-welding, and, thereafter,re-insulating the conductive members 22a,22b (22a,22b,22c) by coveringthe exposed portions of the conductive members 22a,22b (22a,22b,22c)with silicone resin or the like. Another method may call for insertingthe connector portions 39, which extend from the contact pieces 27 ofeach socket 12, from slits formed in the insulating cover 21 of theribbon cable 11 onto the conductive members 22a,22b (22a,22b,22c), andmechanically fastening together the ribbon cable 11 and the socket body26, which are formed of the same kind of material, by means ofultrasonic welding, while pressing the conductive members 22a,22b(22a,22b,22c) and the connecting portions 39 together so that they areelectrically connected. As an yet another example, pressure pins adaptedto be forced into the ribbon cable 11 and connected to the conductivemembers 22a,22b (22a,22b,22c) may be formed on the contact pieces 27 ofeach socket 12.

A desired number of sockets 12 may be arranged on the ribbon cable 11 oncondition that their power consumption is within the range of the amountof the current permitted by the conductive members 22a,22b (22a,22b,22c)of the ribbon cable 11. An approximate number of sockets 12 to beinstalled for conducting in-line illumination of a desired length may beincluded in the design items to be determined at the time ofinstallation of the lighting fixture, or may be standardized at themanufacturing stage for mass-production of products having the samespecification. Furthermore, the ribbon cable 11 may be cut to a desiredlength.

The sockets 12 may be positioned in any direction so that theilluminants 13 may be positioned perpendicularly or in parallel with theribbon cable 11, or in any other desired orientation with respect to theribbon cable 11. In cases where the illuminants 13 are positioned inparallel with the ribbon cable 11, they may extend in parallel with thelengthwise direction of the ribbon cable 11 or perpendicular to thelengthwise direction of the ribbon cable 11.

The illuminants 13 may be incandescent lamps, light-emitting diodes,discharge lamps or light emitting elements of any other desired types.Also, it does not matter whether it is a single-base type or adouble-base type. The shape of the bases of the illuminants, too, may bearbitrarily selected from all the known types including, and not limitedto, the Edison types, the bayonet types, the wedge types and the fusetypes. Furthermore, if the wedge type is chosen, for example, there areseveral possible selections, such as one having a lead wire bent to eachpinch seal portion, or another having a lead wire bent into a semicircle and thus projected from each pinch seal portion.

Examples of the incandescent lamp applicable to the invention includethose having a glass bulb 42 which is transparent, photo-diffusing,colored or has a colored cap fitted thereon. The filament 47 may have adesired shape, such as a straight line, a crest-like shape, etc. In casethe incandescent lamp is of a baseless type, it does not matter whetherthe lamp is sealed at one end or at both ends. Taking such factors asthe appearance and luminous intensity distribution into consideration,however, a compact incandescent lamp which has no base and is sealed atboth ends is suitable for a strip-mounted luminaire 1 of the invention.

Typical examples of such light bulbs may have the followingspecifications:

EXAMPLE 1

12 V of rated voltage, 5 W of rated power consumption, and 45 lm ofluminous flux;

EXAMPLE 2

12V of rated voltage, 10 W of rated power consumption, and 100 lm ofluminous flux;

EXAMPLE 3

24V of rated voltage, 5 W of rated power consumption, and 40 lm ofluminous flux;

EXAMPLE 4

24V of rated voltage, 10 W of rated power consumption, and 90 lm ofluminous flux;

each lamp of these examples has a rated life of 20,000 hours.

In case an illuminant 13 is a discharge lamp, a current-limiting elementfor stabilizing the discharge may be installed in its socket 12.

Next, the watertight cover mechanism 2 is explained.

The base member 51 is disposed on the front side, i.e. the side wherethe corresponding socket 12 is mounted, of the ribbon cable 11. The basemember 51 has a window 72, which permits the socket 12 to be insertedfrom the back of the base member 51. In cases where the first sealingmember 54 is directly fitted between the outer surface of the socket 12and the base member 51, the dimensions of the window 72 has to bestrictly regulated in order to prevent a dimensional discrepancy fromimpairing the sealing ability of the sealing member. However, in caseswhere the first sealing member 54 is disposed outside the socket 12 andseals the gap between the base member 51 and the back end member 52, thedimensions of the window 72 are not strictly limited as long as they arewithin appropriate ranges. In cases where the first sealing member 54serves to seal the space around the outer surface of the socket 12, aloop groove 74 defined by the outer surface of the socket 12 and thebase member 51 may be provided in order to contain the first sealingmember 54.

The back end member 52 is disposed on the back side, i.e. the sideopposite the side where the socket 12 is mounted, of the ribbon cable11. As the ribbon cable 11 is sandwiched between the base member 51 andthe back end member 52, the base member 51 and the back end member 52are secured at the location where the corresponding socket 12 of thestrip-mounted luminaire 1 is mounted on the ribbon cable 11.

The translucent globe 53 is open at one end, i.e. the open end 91, andclosed at the other end. The term `translucent globe` means a globe ofwhich at least the part that has to be translucent is so formed as topass the light. The globe, which may be colored, allows light to pass bybeing either transparent or photo-diffusing.

In conjunction with the base member 51, the translucent globe 53 servesto enclose the socket 12 and the illuminant 13. Therefore, there is noneed of providing the open end 91 with a neck portion. If it is desired,however, a neck portion may be formed. In that case, the translucentglobe 53 is watertightly held at its open end 91 by the base member 51.

Then, the socket 12 and the illuminant 13 are enclosed by the basemember 51 and the translucent globe 53 with the first sealing member 54,which is attached to the base member 51, sealing and therebywaterproofing the space around the outer surface of the socket 12, whilethe second sealing member 55 sealing and waterproofing the gap betweenthe base member 51 and the translucent globe 53. Thus, the socket 12 andthe illuminant 13 are sealed and waterproofed from the outside. As thesocket 12 is enclosed by the base member 51 and the translucent globe53, its shape is not limited to one that has a circular outline, and ashape elongated in the lengthwise direction of the ribbon cable 11 isacceptable. A watertight cover mechanism 2 for a socket 12 which has aso-called irregular shape may also be provided according to theinvention.

As the back end member 52 holds the ribbon cable in conjunction with thebase member 51, it is allowed to be formed in the shape of a plate. Inother words, the distance by which the base member 51 protrudes in thedirection of the back end of the ribbon cable 11 can be reduced to aminimum. This not only facilitates the work of arranging the ribboncable 11 on the surface of a building 3 but also improves the appearanceof the luminaire.

The following is an additional explanation of a luminaire according tothe invention.

The first sealing member 54 is positioned between the outercircumferential surface of the socket 12 and the base member 51. Whenthe waterproof sealing is done by disposing the first sealing member 54between the outer circumferential surface of the socket 12 and the basemember 51, there is no need for the back end member 52 to directlycontribute to the sealing. However, if it is necessary, the back endmember 52 may be so arranged as to hold the first sealing member 54 inorder to prevent the first sealing member 54 from accidentally slippingoff.

In case the space around the socket 12 is waterproofed by disposing thefirst sealing member 54 between the base member 51 and the back endmember 52, it may be done by use of the configuration which calls forproviding the base member 51 with a groove to contain the first sealingmember 54 and conduct the sealing by sandwiching the first sealingmember 54 between the back end member 52 and said groove, or theconfiguration which calls for the base member 51 and the back end member52 to define a groove 143 and conducting the sealing by containing thefirst sealing member 54 in the groove 143.

A plurality of sockets 12 and illuminants 13 are arranged in thelengthwise direction of the ribbon cable 11. As numerous sets of sockets12, illuminants 13 and watertight cover mechanisms 2 are arranged on aribbon cable 11 along the length of the cable, they can be used for whatis generally called in-line illumination. As each illuminant 13 is madewaterproof against rain or other forms of moisture, it is most suitableto be used outdoors or, in some cases, in water. As an example ofapplications, the invention offers a novel lighting equipment forlight-up illumination, such as illuminating the outline of a bridge or abuilding, or in-line illumination along a street or a river. This isbecause an illumination facility can be installed simply by wiring aluminaire of the invention along the outline of such a structure as abridge, a building or the like. In this case, the luminaire can beinstalled by securing the ribbon cable 11 or each watertight covermechanism 2 in an appropriate manner.

The number of sockets 12 to be arranged on the ribbon cable 11 may beset appropriately based on the current capacity of the ribbon cable 11.In case the necessary number of sockets 12 exceeds the limit determinedby the current capacity of the ribbon cable 11, the problem can besolved simply by connecting a plurality of ribbon cables 11 in parallelto one another.

In addition to the two conductive members 22a,22b that are directlyconnected to the power supply of the ribbon cable 11, a conductivemember which is not connected to the power supply (hereinafter referredto as a non-power-supply-connected conductive member) may be used inorder to form illuminant groups 13A, 13B, . . . , each of which consistsof illuminants connected in series. For this purpose, thenon-power-supply-connected conductive member, i.e. the conductive member22c in case of the present embodiment, is divided into a plurality ofconductive pieces 101₁, 101₂, . . . 101_(n) if it is necessary. Atypical method of dividing a non-power-supply-connected conductivemember calls for producing a ribbon cable 11 that contains anon-power-supply-connected conductive member in the undivided state andthen dividing it by punching out specified portions of the conductivemember together with the insulating cover 21 by means of a punch orother tool. After the punching operation, it is sufficient to fillingthe punched-out portions with an insulating filler, such as silicone,and let the portions stand until the filler becomes solid.

Thus, a plurality of conductive pieces 101₁, 101₂, . . . 101_(n) may beformed by dividing a non-power-supply-connected conductive member inaccordance with the intervals at which the illuminants 13 are desired tobe arranged.

For example, illuminant groups 13A, 13B, . . . , each of which consistsof four illuminants 13 connected in series can be formed as follows:first, the socket 12 of the first illuminant 13₁ is connected to thefirst conductive piece 101₁ and the conductive member 22a, which isconnected to one pole of the power supply; the socket 12 of the secondilluminant 13₂ is connected to the first conductive piece 101₁ and thesecond conductive piece 101₂ ; the socket 12 of the third illuminant 13₃is connected, in the same manner as above, to the second conductivepiece 101₂ and the third conductive piece 101₃ ; and, finally, thesocket 12 of the fourth illuminant 13₄ is connected to the thirdconductive piece 101₃ and the other conductive member 22b, which isconnected to the other pole of the power supply. In other words, theilluminant groups 13A, 13B, . . . are disposed between and connected toa pair of conductive members 22a,22b that are connected to the powersupply, with the illuminants of each illuminant group connected inseries via the first through third conductive pieces, i.e. theconductive pieces 101₁ through 101₃. It can be readily understood that aplurality of illuminant groups 13A, 13B, . . . can be formed between thepair of conductive members 22a,22b and connected thereto in parallelwith one another by sequentially sectioning thenon-power-supply-connected conductive member in the lengthwise directionof the ribbon cable 11.

A single non-power-supply-connected conductive member is sufficient inthe configuration described above. By providing a plurality ofnon-power-supply-connected conductive members, however, the illuminantgroups 13A, 13B, . . . can be arranged in blocks which may be controlledseparately.

The benefit of such a configuration lies in that there is no need of atransformer. This feature is especially beneficial in case of anillumination arranged on a structure situated outdoors, because it isdifficult to secure a space for installing a transformer outdoors.

Each socket 12 has a socket body 26 made of an insulating material, anda pair of contact pieces 27. The socket body 26 includes a base portion28 extending in the lengthwise direction of the ribbon cable 11, and apair of insertion portions 29 respectively raised from the twolengthwise ends of the base portion 28. Each insertion portion 29 isprovided with an insertion groove 30 and a space 31 in such a mannerthat the two insertion grooves 30 oppose each other and that each space31 communicates with the corresponding insertion groove 30. The contactpieces 27 penetrate through the insulating cover 21 of the ribbon cable11 and are connected to the conductive members 22a,22b. In this state,each contact piece 27 is contained in the space 31 of the correspondinginsertion portion 29 and faces the insertion groove 30. Each illuminant13 is a compact, baseless incandescent lamp comprised of a glass bulb 42having a pair of pinch seal portions 43 respectively formed at the twoopposing ends of the glass bulb 42, a pair of lead wires 46 respectivelyinserted in the pinch seal portions 43, and a filament 47 disposed inthe glass bulb 42. The portion of each lead wire 46 contained in theglass bulb 42 forms a filament supporting portion 44, while the portionoutside the glass bulb 42 forms a connector loop 45 adapted to beinserted into an insertion groove 30 of the socket 12 and connected to acontact piece 27. The filament 47 is laid across said pair of filamentsupporting portions 44 and connected thereto. Each socket 12 may havesuch a configuration that the pinch seal portions 43 at both ends of theilluminant 13 are respectively inserted into the insertion grooves 30facing each other or a configuration wherein the lead wires 46 alone areinserted into the insertion grooves 30. As an baseless incandescent lampmay permit its filament 47 to be arranged in a straight line, itsluminous intensity distribution can be made suitable for in-lineillumination. As the axis of the glass bulb 42 extends in the lengthwisedirection of the ribbon cable 11, the distance by which the lampprotrudes from the ribbon cable 11 can be reduced. This feature,together with the fact that the socket 12 is provided with a socket body26 made of an insulating material, also improves the appearance.Therefore, a luminaire according to the invention is appealing inappearance when installed at a location where the luminaire itself isvisible.

The invention also includes a reflector 14 disposed between the baseportion 28 of the socket body 26 and the illuminant 13. Disposing thereflector 14 between the illuminant 13 and the base portion 28 of thesocket 12 permits the visible rays from the illuminant 13 to bereflected so as to achieve desired characteristics of luminous intensitydistribution. In addition, it also enables the reflection of the heatradiated from the illuminant 13. Therefore, even if the illuminant 13 ispositioned as close as possible to the base portion 28 of the socket 12,there is no danger of the base portion 28 deteriorating or being damagedby the heat from the illuminant 13. The reflector 14 may be removablyattached to the socket body 26.

The base member 51 is formed in a generally disk-like shape and has apair of fitting portions 67, which are symmetrically formed along thecircumferential edge of the back end of the base member 51 and adaptedto fit the ribbon cable 11 thereto, a window 72 formed between the pairof fitting portions 67 and adapted to permit the socket 12 to beinserted therein, a pair of arc-shaped base-side fastening portions 68respectively formed at two opposing sides of the window 72, a windowframe portion 73 which is formed on the surface of the base member 51,at a location inside the base-side fastening portions 68 and outside thewindow 72 and has a first loop groove 74 formed in the inner surface ofthe base member 51 and adapted to contain the first sealing member 54,and an annular ridge 66 having a second loop groove 65 which is formedaround the outer circumferential face of the base member 51 and adaptedto contain the second sealing member 55. The back end member 52 isformed in a generally disk-like shape and has seating portion 81 whichis formed at the approximate center of the surface of the back endmember 52 and adapted to receive the ribbon cable 11 thereon. The backend member 52 also has a pair of arc-shaped backend-side fasteningportions 82 flanking said seating portion 81 and adapted to be fastenedto the base-side fastening portions 68. The translucent globe 53 has agenerally hemi-spherical shape and has a circular open end 91 so thatthe translucent globe 53 can be attached to the base member 51 with theopen end 91 of the translucent globe 53 fitted around the outercircumferential face of the annular ridge 66. Both the base member 51and back end member 52 have fastening portions projecting outward fromthe side edges of the ribbon cable 11, and these arc-shaped fasteningportions fasten the base member 51 and the back end member 52 togetherin the state where the ribbon cable 11 is sandwiched therebetween. Thefastening portions are fastened to each other by an appropriate means,such as ultrasonic welding or by use of screws or bolts and nuts. As thetranslucent globe 53 has a circular open end 91 and is so designed as tobe attached to the base member 51 by fitting the open end 91 over theannular ridge 66 of the base member 51, the translucent globe 53 can beattached to the base member 51 without the need of considering which waythe socket 12 or the illuminant 13 is mounted. The translucent globe 53may have a generally hemi-spherical outline; in other words, there is noneed of forming a neck portion. Therefore, the translucent globe 53 maybe formed by injection molding, and, therefore can be produced at a lowproduction cost. In the state where the translucent globe 53 is attachedto the base member 51, the friction between the translucent globe 53 andthe annular ridge 66 of the base member 51 or the friction between thetranslucent globe 53 and the second sealing member 55 preventsinadvertent displacement of the translucent globe 53. If it isnecessary, however, a displacement prevention mechanism may specially beprovided.

According to another feature of the invention, the base member 51 isformed in a generally disk-like shape and has a pair of fitting portions67, which are symmetrically formed along the circumferential edge of theback end of the base member 51 and adapted to fit the ribbon cable 11thereto, a window 72 formed between the pair of fitting portions 67 andadapted to have the socket 12 inserted therein, a pair of arc-shapedbase-side fastening portions 68 respectively formed at two opposingsides of the window 72, a loop ridge 134 which is formed at a locationinside the base-side fastening portions 68 and outside the socket 12 andadapted to contain the first sealing member 54, and an annular ridge 66having a loop groove 65 which is formed around the outer circumferentialface of the base member 51 and adapted to contain the second sealingmember 55. The back end member 52 is formed in a generally disk-likeshape and has seating portion 81 which is formed at the approximatecenter of the surface of the back end member 52 and adapted to receivethe ribbon cable 11 thereon, a pair of arc-shaped back-end-sidefastening portions 82 flanking said seating portion 81 and adapted to befastened to the base-side fastening portions 68, a ridge portion 141facing the loop ridge 134 at a distance therewith so that the ridgeportion 141 and the loop ridge 134 together define a groove 143 which isadapted to contain the first sealing member 54, and a push portion 142adapted to push the first sealing member 54 into the groove 143. Thetranslucent globe 53 has a generally hemi-spherical shape and has acircular open end 91 so that the translucent globe 53 can be attached tothe base member 51 with the open end 91 of the translucent globe 53fitted around the outer circumferential face of the annular ridge 66. Inother words, this configuration serves to conduct the watertight sealingof the space around the socket 12 without using the socket 12; and thesealing is conducted by disposing the second sealing member 55 betweenthe base member 51 and the back end member 52. Therefore, even if theshapes and/or the dimensions of the outer faces of the sockets 12 arenot uniform, such non-uniformity does not impair the sealing function.The shape of each socket 12 has basically no influence on the sealingfunction. In other words, a desired sealing function can be achievedeven if the socket 12 has an irregular shape. Therefore, regardless ofthe shape of the socket 12, the translucent globe 53 may be formed inany shape that is suitable for the second sealing member 55 to performthe sealing function. As described above, the groove 143 for containingthe first sealing member 54 is formed by conjunction of the ridgeportion 141 of the back end member 52 with the loop ridge 134 of thebase member 51. Therefore, when the back end member 52 and the basemember 51 sandwich the ribbon cable 11 in the state where the firstsealing member 54 is fitted around the loop ridge 134 of the base member51 beforehand, the ridge portion 141 of the back end member 52 forms thegroove 143 in conjunction with the loop ridge 134 of the base member 51so that the first sealing member 54 is contained in the groove 143. Byfastening the base member 51 and the back end member 52 by use of thefastening means in this state, the push portion 142 pushes the firstsealing member 54 further into the groove 143, thereby causing the firstsealing member 54 to perform the sealing function. As the ridge portion141 of the back end member 52 intersects the ribbon cable 11, the ridgeportion 141 does not form a complete loop. However, this presents noactual problems, because the ribbon cable 11 itself applies a pressureto the first sealing member 54 at the locations where the ridge portion141 is notched. In case minute gaps are formed between the ribbon cable11 and the ridge portion 141, the seal may be reinforced by usingsilicone or the like to fill the gaps between the ribbon cable 11 andthe base member 51 and also between the ribbon cable 11 and the back endmember 52.

The base member 51 and the back end member 52 are fastened together bymeans of ultrasonic welding. As the respective fastening portions of thebase member 51 and the back end member 52 have the shape of an arc, bothhave a sufficient length for ultrasonic welding, and, therefore, can befastened together with sufficient fastening strength. Once the basemember 51 and the back end member 52 are fastened together in theproduction process at a factory, there will be virtually no need ofseparating them later. Letting the user separate them apart may bringabout various problems, such as deterioration in the sealing functionresulting from improper assembly.

In another embodiment, the base member 51 and the back end member 52 arefastened together with tapping screws 146. As the base member 51 and theback end member 52 are fastened together with tapping screws 146, bothfastening operation and equipment for the fastening operation can besimplified, and, therefore, the man hours required by the assembly ofthe luminaire can be reduced. The tapping screws 146 can be screwed fromthe base member 51 into the back end member 52. However, as the back ofthe back end member 52 is flat, screwing them from the back face of theback end member 52 makes the fastening operation even easier and alsoimproves the appearance of the luminaire. An appropriate number oftapping screws 146 may be used. In other words, from one to a number oftapping screws 146 may be used for each fastening portion.

In another embodiment, the base member 51 is formed in a generallydisk-like shape and has a plurality of catching grooves 69 around itsouter edge. The translucent globe 53 has a generally hemi-sphericalshape and is provided with a circular open end 91 and a plurality ofcatching ridges 92, which are formed on the inner wall of the open end91 and adapted to be engaged in the catching grooves 69 of the basemember 51. With the configuration as above, the translucent globe 53 canbe attached to the base member 51 by fitting the open end 91 of thetranslucent globe 53 over the annular ridge 66 of the base member 51 andsimply rotating the translucent globe 53 so that the catching ridges 92of the translucent globe 53 become engaged in the catching grooves 69 ofthe base member 51. Thus, the mounting of the translucent globe 53 iscompleted. The engagement of the catching ridges 92 of the translucentglobe 53 in the catching grooves 69 of the base member 51 serves as amechanism to prevent inadvertent displacement of the translucent globe53.

In yet another embodiment, the base member 51 is formed in a generallydisk-like shape and has a plurality of catching lips 131 formed aroundits outer edge, while the translucent globe 53 has a generallyhemi-spherical shape and is provided with a circular open end 91 and aplurality of catching grooves 151, which are formed along the inner edgeof the open end 91 and adapted to be engaged with the catching lips 131of the base member 51. With the configuration as above, the translucentglobe 53 can be attached to the base member 51 by fitting the open end91 of the translucent globe 53 over the annular ridge 66 of the basemember 51 and simply rotating the translucent globe 53 so that thecatching lips 131 of the base member 51 become engaged in the catchinggrooves 151 of the translucent globe 53. Thus, the mounting of thetranslucent globe 53 is completed. The engagement of the catching lips131 of the base member 51 in the catching grooves 151 of the translucentglobe 53 serves as a mechanism to prevent inadvertent displacement ofthe translucent globe 53. As the catching lips 131 of the base member 51and the catching grooves 151 of the translucent globe 53 arerespectively formed on the outer face of the base member 51 and insidethe translucent globe 53, with almost nothing protruding out of thetranslucent globe 53, this configuration has an appealing appearance.

In yet another embodiment, the back end member 52 is provided withmounting holes 84. The mounting holes 84 formed in the back end member52 can be used when the luminaire is attached to a building 3 or thelike. Other than being used for attaching the luminaire directly to abuilding 3 or the like, the mounting holes 84 may be used to attachadapters or fixtures to the luminaire prior to attaching the luminaireto a building 3 or the like. Although the mounting holes 84 may beformed anywhere in the back end member 52, it is recommended to formthem in the fastening portions so as to not increase the thickness ofthe back end member 52.

In yet another embodiment, the back end member 52 is provided withmounting holes 84 formed in the back face thereof, and a mounting stay121 which serves as an adapter and has mounting portions 123 projectingfrom both sides of the back end member 52. The lighting fixture can beattached to a building 3 by use of the mounting stay 121. When not inuse, the mounting stay 121 can be removed. As an unnecessary object canthus be removed, it improves the appearance of the lighting fixture.

In yet another embodiment, the back end member 52 is provided withmounting holes 84, which are formed in the back face thereof, and amounting saddle 127 to be fastened in said mounting holes 84. Thisstructure is convenient to attach the lighting fixture to a bridge orthe like. When providing a bridge or a similar structure with a in-lineillumination system, it is often done by arranging a cord-shaped member126, such as a wire, along the mounting site, and then attachinglighting fixtures to the cord-shaped member 126 so that the lightingfixtures are arranged in a line. Therefore, the object of the aboveembodiment is to provide a lighting fixture of a simple configurationwhich can be attached to a cord-shaped member 126. By setting themounting saddle 127 attached to a cord-shaped member 126 in the mountingholes 84 formed in the back face of the back end member 52, the lightingfixture can be attached to the cord-shaped member 126.

As yet another feature thereof, the invention provides an outdoorillumination system which comprises a lighting fixture mounted on thesurface of a building (or other structure) 3 in such a manner that theflat surface of its ribbon cable 11 faces the building (or otherstructure) 3, a fixing means for affixing the lighting fixture to thebuilding (or other structure) 3, and a power supply connected to theribbon cable 11. As only a minimal part of the back end member 52projects from the back of the ribbon cable 11, not only can the lightingfixture be securely mounted on the surface of the building (or otherstructure) 3 but also it is also appealing in appearance. Theaforementioned fixing means may be formed beforehand as an integral bodywith a member of the watertight cover mechanism 2, for example the backend member 52.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, a watertight cover mechanism for a strip-mountedluminaire, a lighting fixture and an outdoor illumination systemaccording to the present invention are suitable to be used outdoors andalso suitable for illuminating the outline of a bridge, a building orthe like as well as in-line illumination to be installed along a streetor a river.

What is claimed is:
 1. A lighting fixture including:a strip-mountedluminaire including a ribbon cable having a plurality of conductivemembers embedded in an insulating cover in such a state that theconductive members are insulated from one another, at least one socketand an illuminant set therein, said socket piercing through theinsulating cover of the ribbon cable and connected to the conductivemembers; a base member which is adapted to be disposed on the ribboncable of the strip-mounted luminaire and provided with a window soformed as to permit said socket to be inserted therethrough; a back endmember adapted to hold said ribbon cable in such manner that the ribboncable is sandwiched between the base member and the back member; atranslucent globe adapted to be fitted around said base member in such astate as to enclose said socket and the illuminant set in the socket; afirst sealing member adapted to be arranged on said base member so as towatertightly seal a space around the socket; a second sealing member forsealing a gap between said base member and the translucent globe;whereinthe base member is formed in a generally disk-like shape and hasa plurality of catching grooves around an outer edge thereof; and thetranslucent globe has a generally hemi-spherical shape and is providedwith a circular open end and a plurality of catching ridges, which areformed on an inner edge of the open end and adapted to be engaged in thecatching grooves of the base member.
 2. A lighting fixture including:astrip-mounted luminaire including a ribbon cable having a plurality ofconductive members embedded in an insulating cover in such a state thatthe conductive members are insulated from one another, at least onesocket and an illuminant set therein socket, said socket piercingthrough the insulating cover of the ribbon cable and connected to theconductive members; a base member which is adapted to be disposed on theribbon cable of the strip-mounted luminaire and provided with a windowso formed as to permit said socket to be inserted therethrough; a backend member adapted to hold said ribbon cable in such manner that theribbon cable is sandwiched between the base member and the back member;a translucent globe adapted to be fitted around said base member in sucha state as to enclose said socket and the illuminant set in the socket;a first sealing member adapted to be arranged on said base member so asto watertightly seal a space around the socket; a second sealing memberfor sealing a gap between said base member and the translucent globe;wherein:the base member is formed in a generally disk-like shape and hasa plurality of catching lips formed around an outer edge thereof; andthe translucent globe has a generally hemi-spherical shape and isprovided with a circular open end and a plurality of catching grooves,which are formed along an inner edge of the open end and adapted to beengaged with the catching lips of the base member.
 3. A lighting fixtureincluding:a strip-mounted luminaire including a ribbon cable having aplurality of conductive members embedded in an insulating cover in sucha state that the conductive members are insulated from one another, atleast one socket and an illuminant set therein, said socket piercingthrough the insulating cover of the ribbon cable and connected to theconductive members; a base member which is adapted to be disposed on theribbon cable of the strip-mounted luminaire and provided with a windowso formed as to permit said socket to be inserted therethrough; a backend member adapted to hold said ribbon cable in such manner that theribbon cable is sandwiched between the base member and the back member;a translucent globe adapted to be fitted around said base member in sucha state as to enclose said socket and the illuminant set in the socket;a first sealing member adapted to be arranged on said base member so asto watertightly seal a space around the socket; a second sealing memberfor sealing a gap between said base member and the translucent globe;the ribbon cable being provided with three or more conductive members,of which at least two conductive members are used to connect the ribboncable to the power supply while at least one conductive member is notconnected to the power supply; a plurality of sockets and illuminantsare arranged in a lengthwise direction of the ribbon cable; and aplurality of illuminant groups, each of which consists of a plurality ofilluminants connected in series via said conductive member(s) that is(are) not connected to the power supply, are formed, said illuminantsgroups arranged between the power supply-connected conductive membersand connected thereto in parallel with one another.
 4. A lightingfixture including:a strip-mounted luminaire including a ribbon cablehaving a plurality of conductive members embedded in an insulating coverin such a state that the conductive members are insulated from oneanother, a socket and an illuminant set in said socket, said socketpiercing through the insulating cover of the ribbon cable and connectedto the conductive members; a base member which is adapted to be disposedon the ribbon cable of the strip-mounted luminaire and provided with awindow so formed as to permit said socket to be inserted therethrough; aback end member adapted to hold said ribbon cable in such manner thatthe ribbon cable is sandwiched between the base member and the backmember; a translucent globe adapted to be fitted around said base memberin such a state as to enclose said socket and the illuminant set in thesocket; a first sealing member adapted to be arranged on said basemember so as to watertightly seal a space around the socket; a secondsealing member for sealing a gap between said base member and thetranslucent globe; wherein the socket is provided with:a socket bodywhich is made of an insulating material and includes a base portionextending in the lengthwise direction of the ribbon cable, a pair ofinsertion portions respectively raised from the two opposing ends of thebase portion, a pair of insertion grooves respectively formed in the twoinsertion portions at the opposing locations, and spaces respectivelyformed in the two insertion portions in such a manner that each spacecommunicates with the corresponding insertion groove, and the illuminantis a compact, baseless incandescent lamp having:a glass bulb, a pair ofpinch seal portions respectively formed at two opposing ends of theglass bulb, a pair of lead wires respectively and airtightly inserted inthe pinch seal portions, each lead wire having the portion that iscontained in the glass bulb and forms a filament supporting portion anda portion that is located outside the glass bulb and forms a connectorloop adapted to be inserted into the corresponding insertion groove ofthe socket and connected to the corresponding contact piece, and afilament disposed in the glass bulb in such a manner as to be laidacross said filament supporting portions and connected thereto.
 5. Alighting fixture including:a strip-mounted luminaire including a ribboncable having a plurality of conductive members embedded in an insulatingcover in such a state that the conductive members are insulated from oneanother, a socket and an illuminant set in said socket, said socketpiercing through the insulating cover of the ribbon cable and connectedto the conductive members; a base member which is adapted to be disposedon the ribbon cable of the strip-mounted luminaire and provided with awindow so formed as to permit said socket to be inserted therethrough; aback end member adapted to hold said ribbon cable in such manner thatthe ribbon cable is sandwiched between the base member and the backmember; a translucent globe adapted to be fitted around said base memberin such a state as to enclose said socket and the illuminant set in thesocket; a first sealing member adapted to be arranged on said basemember so as to watertightly seal a space around the socket; a secondsealing member for sealing a gap between said base member and thetranslucent globe; wherein the socket is provided with:a socket bodywhich is made of an insulating material and includes a base portionextending in the lengthwise direction of the ribbon cable, a pair ofinsertion portions respectively raised from the two opposing ends of thebase portion, a pair of insertion grooves respectively formed in the twoinsertion portions at the opposing locations, and spaces respectivelyformed in the two insertion portions in such manner that each spacecommunicates with the corresponding insertion groove, and a pair ofcontact pieces which penetrate through the insulating cover of theribbon cable and are connected to the conductive members in such a statethat the contact pieces are respectively contained in the spaces of theinsertion portions and face the insertion grooves; the illuminant is acompact, baseless incandescent lamp having:a glass bulb, a pair of pinchseal portions respectively formed at two opposing ends of the glassbulb, a pair of lead wires respectively and airtightly inserted in thepinch seal portions, each lead wire having a portion that is containedin the glass bulb and forms a filament supporting portion and a portionthat is located outside the glass bulb and forms a connector loopadapted to be inserted into the corresponding insertion groove of thesocket and connected to the corresponding contact piece, and a filamentdisposed in the glass bulb in such a manner as to be laid across saidfilament supporting portions and connected thereto; and the lightingfixture also includes a reflector disposed between the base portion ofsaid socket body and the illuminant set therein.
 6. A lighting fixtureincluding:a strip-mounted luminaire including a ribbon cable having aplurality of conductive members embedded in an insulating cover in sucha state that the conductive members are insulated from one another, atleast one socket and an illuminant set therein, said socket piercingthrough the insulating cover of the ribbon cable and connected to theconductive members; a base member which is adapted to be disposed on theribbon cable of the strip-mounted luminaire and provided with a windowso formed as to permit said socket to be inserted therethrough; a backend member adapted to hold said ribbon cable in such manner that theribbon cable is sandwiched between the base member and the back member;a translucent globe adapted to be fitted around said base member in sucha state as to enclose said socket and the illuminant set in the socket;a first sealing member adapted to be arranged on said base member so asto watertightly seal a space around the socket; a second sealing memberfor sealing a gap between said base member and the translucent globe;whereinthe base member is formed in a generally disk-like shape and hasa pair of fitting portions symmetrically formed along a circumferentialedge of a back end of the base member and adapted to fit the ribboncable to the base member, a window formed between said pair of fittingportions and adapted to permit a socket to be inserted therethrough, apair of arc-shaped base-side fastening portions respectively formed attwo opposing sides of the window, a window frame portion which is formedat a location inside the base-side fastening portions and outside thewindow and has a first loop groove adapted to contain the first sealingmember in such a manner that the first sealing member is positionedbetween the socket and the first loop groove, and an annular ridgehaving a second loop groove which is formed around an outercircumferential face of the base member and adapted to contain thesecond sealing member; the back end member is formed in a generallydisk-like shape and has a seating portion formed at an approximatecenter of a surface of the back end member and adapted to receive theribbon cable thereon, and a pair of arc-shaped back-end-side fasteningportions flanking said seating portion and adapted to be fastened to theaforementioned base-side fastening portions, and the translucent globehas a generally hemi-spherical shape and has a circular open end so thatthe translucent globe can be attached to the base member with the openend of the translucent globe fitted around an outer circumferential faceof the annular ridge.
 7. A lighting fixture including:a strip-mountedluminaire including a ribbon cable having a plurality of conductivemembers embedded in an insulating cover in such a state that theconductive members are insulated from one another, at least one socketand an illuminant set therein, said socket piercing through theinsulating cover of the ribbon cable and connected to the conductivemembers; a base member which is adapted to be disposed on the ribboncable of the strip-mounted luminaire and provided with a window soformed as to permit said socket to be inserted therethrough; a back endmember adapted to hold said ribbon cable in such manner that the ribboncable is sandwiched between the base member and the back member; atranslucent globe adapted to be fitted around said base member in such astate as to enclose said socket and the illuminant set in the socket; afirst sealing member adapted to be arranged on said base member so as towatertightly seal a space around the socket; a second seating member forsealing a gap between said base member and the translucent globe;wherein:the base member is formed in a generally disk-like shape and hasa pair of fitting portions symmetrically formed along a circumferentialedge of the back end of the base member and adapted to fit the ribboncable to the base member, a window formed between said pair of fittingportions and adapted to permit a socket to be inserted therethrough, apair of arc-shaped base-side fastening portions respectively formed attwo opposing sides of the window, a loop ridge which is formed at alocation inside the base-side fastening portions and outside the socketand adapted to contain the first sealing member, and an annular ridgehaving a loop groove which is formed around the outer circumferentialface of the base member and adapted to contain the second sealingmember; the back end member is formed in a generally disk-like shape andhas a seating portion formed at an approximate center of a surface ofthe back end member and adapted to receive the ribbon cable thereon, apair of arc-shaped back-end-side fastening portions flanking saidseating portion and adapted to be fastened to the aforementionedbase-side fastening portions, a ridge portion facing facing theaforementioned loop ridge at a distance therewith so that the ridgeportion and the loop ridge together form a groove for containing thefirst sealing member, and a push portion adapted to push the firstsealing member into said groove; and the translucent globe has agenerally hemi-spherical shape and has a circular open end so that thetranslucent globe can be attached to the base member with the open endof the translucent globe fitted around an outer circumferential face ofthe annular ridge.
 8. A lighting fixture as claimed in claim 6, whereina plurality of sockets and illuminants are arranged in a lengthwisedirection of the ribbon cable.
 9. A lighting fixture as claimed in claim3, wherein the base member and the back end member are fastened togetherby means of ultrasonic welding.
 10. A lighting fixture as claimed inclaim 6, wherein the base member and the back end member are fastenedtogether with tapping screws.
 11. A lighting fixture as claimed in claim6, wherein mounting holes are formed in the back of the back end member.12. A lighting fixture as claimed in claim 6, wherein said lightingfixture also includes:mounting holes formed in the back of the back endmember; and an adapter which is designed to be fastened in the mountingholes in the back of the back end member and has mounting portionsrespectively projecting from two opposing locations of the back endmember.
 13. A lighting fixture as claimed in claim 6, wherein saidlighting fixture also includes:mounting holes formed in the back of theback end member; and a cord-shaped member adapter to be fastened in themounting holes in the back of the back end member.